1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of vehicle mirror systems which offset the visual distortion created by a convex rearview mirror to the drivers of vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of vehicle rearview mirror systems which create a combination of features in order to offset the visual distortion created by a convex rearview mirror and satisfies the federal safety standards, such features including a full-view rearward visual field containing no blind spots for revealing all lanes of uninterrupted roadway traffic, a clarity of image for helping drivers distinguish between one lane and another with vehicles traveling in them, a safety reference to help drivers judge when it is not safe to make a lane change or a turn, a safety locker to help drivers judge when it is safe to make a lane change or a turn, and a nearest distance to prove why it is safe for drivers to change lanes or make turns.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A rearview mirror system is a necessary safety equipment installed on a vehicle. A quick glance in the rearview mirror while operating a vehicle is something most of the drivers do more than once every minute. This probably makes the rearview mirror system one of the most important safety elements of a vehicle.
An increase in motor vehicle operators brings an unfortunate by-product-increased accidents, and even more near-accidents, that are brought about by increasing vehicle population. The Department of Motor Vehicles figures shows the number of registered vehicles exceeds 194.5 million, and the number of licensed drivers exceeds 170 million. According to the statistics of death, injury and collision loss experience resulted from vehicular accidents composed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the collision rate exceeds once in every second, the injury rate exceeds three people in every minute, and the death rate is approximately one person in every 11 minutes. Current cars are coming up with more safety developments, which may have better injury experience that corresponding earlier models. However, collision experience can be expected to remain on the rise without solving the drivers' visual problems. If all blind spots surrounding the vehicle can be completely eliminated, the collision fate will be reduced substantially. Unfortunately, the conventional vehicle rearview mirror system continues to have blind spots which leads to vehicular accidents.
Unless one piece of mirror plate which can provide a full-view rearward visual field all in just one picture, revealing all lanes of uninterrupted roadway traffic, it cannot wholly eliminate the blind spots surrounding the vehicle. However, mere one piece of flat mirror plate cannot provide a full view rearward visual field to the driver, and a multiple mirror plates system cannot provide a full-view rearward visual field all in just one picture either. It is an underlying principle that a convex rearview mirror can provide a full-view rearward visual field all in just one picture, but it also creates a highly visual distortion which can cause visual misjudgments to lead to vehicular accidents. However, if the visual distortion created by the convex rearview mirror can be offset, then all blind spots surrounding the vehicle can be completely eliminated, so that the vehicular accidents will be substantially reduced.
Mirrors with curved surfaces were introduced as early as the 13th century, since the wider viewing angle feature created by convex mirror has been common. The convex rearview mirrors were applied to automobiles in many decades ago, since the visual distortion feature created by the convex rearview mirror has been common. Thousands of motorists by convex rearview mirrors that are supposed to assist in eliminating the blind spots because the wider viewing angle feature created by convex mirror. The NHTSA has strict rules that forbid manufacturers or service garages from installing such convex rearview mirrors because the visual distortion also created by convex mirror. On the one hand, the conventional vehicle rearview mirror system continues the have blind spots, which can lead to vehicular accidents. On the other hand, the wider viewing angle convex rearview mirrors continue to have visual distortion, which can also lead to vehicular accidents.
In attempt to improve upon the conventional vehicle rearview mirror system it has been suggested to use a convex mirror. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,435 issued to Shomper discloses a convex vehicle rearview mirror. The convex mirror is attached to the interior sun visor of the vehicle, in front of the driver's seat. Since the convex mirror creates a wider view angle, the driver is able to see a wider rear view. However, this prior use of an interior convex rearview mirror has some problems. First, the sun visor in front of the driver's seat has been specially designed toward the driver's eye level for blocking off the sun light. Therefore any mirror attached to it would be positioned too low and could cause the blockage of the driver's rear view, because the mirror will reflect all the objects which exist in front of it within its viewing coverage including the driver's and even the passenger's heads, which become new blind spots to the driver. Besides, the sun visor can even block the driver's visual sight from seeing the signals while approaching to intersections. In addition, when a mirror has a convex shape, the reflected objects look farther away than they really are, creating a visual distortion which causes visual misjudgments and leads to vehicular accidents. Drivers cannot use such a convex rearview mirror effectively and safely without knowing how to offset that visual distortion created by the convex rearview mirror.
It would be illegal for a manufacturer or service garage to use any devices "which render inoperative the effectiveness" of a federal standard except the convex rearview mirror on the right side of most vehicles, bear a warning about the visual distortion created by convex mirror. However, without knowing how to offset that visual distortion created by convex mirrors, even bearing the warning about the visual distortion under the federal law, a mere full-view convex rearview mirror alone cannot help drivers judge the closing speed, positions and distances of other vehicles. Therefore, a mere full-view convex rearview mirror alone cannot actually help the drivers operate the convex rearview mirrors safely and effectively.
When a mirror has a convex shape, the smaller the radius of curvature, the wider the viewing angle it creates. However, the convex mirror with smaller radius of curvature also creates higher visual distortion. In addition, it reduces the clarity of the image. This is highly undesirable for vehicle drivers, especially to the senior drivers who physically are not active and have customary visual problems caused by aging. According to the statistics from the NHTSA, the total number of licensed drivers exceeds 170 million, wherein 35 million of them are over the age of 65. This portion of older drivers is on the rise because people are living longer. Therefore, to the vehicle driver, a clarity of image becomes one of the major factors of a full-view rearview mirror.
The greater the radius of curvature, the clearer the image that can be produced by the convex mirror. Therefore, a wider viewing angle and a clearer image can be created by elongating the length of a convex mirror to allow a greater radius of curvature. However, the interior dimensions of a vehicle place a limit on the length of such elongated convex rearview mirrors. For example, the driver's seat is located at one side rather than at the center of a vehicle, but the rearview mirror is mounted at the center of the front windshield facing to the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, the driver may see only partial rear viewing coverage of the mirror (less than about 15 degrees) on the driver's side of the vehicle, which leaves blind spots on the left side of the vehicle. Therefore it is often necessary to swing the rearview mirror to adjust its angle, so the driver can obtain an appropriate rearward visual field. However, the close distance between an elongated convex rearview mirror and the front windshield of the vehicle will limit the amount of swinging angle on the elongated convex rearview mirror.
In addition, the prior use of a convex rearview mirror by stick-on, clip-on or attached to the existing devices of a vehicle has some other problems. The existing devices of the vehicle, such as sun visors, have been specially designed for their special functions and installed in special locations. The convex rearview mirror attached to such existing devices may not perform properly. It is preferable to mount the rearview mirror to the front windshield of the vehicle with an independent mirror support means. However, on the one hand a shorter mirror support means is needed to offset the mirror vibration to ensure the safety of the front windshield and stability of the image because the weight of the elongated rearview mirror is substantially increased; on the other hand, an elongated support means is also needed to provide maximum flexibility for adjusting the angle of the rearview mirror.
Moreover, a mere full-view convex rearview mirror alone cannot be safely and effectively used unless an effective method is provided for the drivers to offset the visual distortion created by the convex rearview mirror. Without such a method, the prior art convex rearview mirrors cannot solve the driver's visual misjudgment problems, nor can the federal safety standard be satisfied. Until now, no such safety method is known which can let the drivers know how to offset the visual distortion created by the convex rearview mirror.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a new type of convex rearview mirror for vehicles, which has an elongated length with a long radius of curvature to improve the clarity of the convex rearview mirror. There further remains a need for an independent mirror support device which is specially designed to allow greater adjustability of the elongated convex rearview mirror, both in its height and in its angle, yet provides a vibration-free attachment. There also remains a need for a method which can actually help the drivers to judge whether and when it is safe to make a lane change or a turn. There remains an additional need for a formula to prove why the method is a safe method for drivers to use to offset the visual distortion created by the convex rearview mirror, to satisfy the federal safety standard.